1. Field
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a method of forming metal wire and a thin film transistor array panel.
2. Discussion of the Background
Recently, the display device market has changed through the introduction of flat panel displays (FPDs) that easily realize a large area and have reduced weight and thickness. Among the many kinds of flat panel displays, an organic light emitting diode display (OLED) is most advantageous in reducing the thickness and weight because it is a self-luminescent type requiring no light source.
A pixel in a display device includes a plurality of thin film transistors, and the thin film transistor includes a gate electrode connected to a gate line transmitting a scan signal, a source electrode connected to a data line transmitting a signal to be applied to a pixel electrode, a drain electrode facing the source electrode, and a semiconductor electrically connected to the source electrode and the drain electrode.
In order to form a metal wire such as the data line and the gate line, a metal layer is formed on the substrate and is patterned through a photolithography process using a photoresist pattern.
The photoresist pattern is formed through an exposing and developing process. The metal layer is etched by a developing solution used in the developing process and an impurity is generated according to the metal used.
In particular, a metal layer made of aluminum for producing a low resistance wire reacts with the developing solution, the impurity is generated, and the generated impurity remains on the metal layer. As a result, the impurity remaining on the metal layer may be recognized as noise in a testing process.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and, therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.